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Made this tonight for dinner! Loved it! I’ve never attempted spaghetti squash and it was great! Love the addition of the turkey too.
Lindsay
OH, THE LAYERS OF DELICIOUSNESS.
LAY-ERSSSS.
You can’t even make this stuff up. These boats consist of spaghetti squash (the stringy-in-a-good-way squash that looks suspiciously similar to spaghetti) tossed around with some sautéed garlic kale, ricotta, lemon juice, salt, and mozzarella, baked right back in its spaghetti squash shell and topped with a super quick-simmer spaghetti sauce with ground turkey, because sometimes we find these things in our freezer and we need to top them with melty cheese to bring them out into the light.
These spaghetti squash lasagna boats are a major weeknight meal win for all the hungry people.
This is all we ate for the last three days before we headed out to the Philippines. Like, five meals in a row because I made them multiple times. You and I know that we don’t play around with serving sizes around here. I have no interest in a plate of three bites of food with some little bubbles of culinary foam on top. My MO is more of the Huge Plate Piled High With Food variety, whether nutritious Winter Bliss Bowls or just a good old burger and fries. But I might have even achieved a new level here – these spaghetti squash lasagna boat miracles were SO HUGE and so filling that even Bjork couldn’t finish one of them. We ended up halving the boats for smaller, more normal-person sized lunches and reserving the full-size boats for only the hangriest of dinner moments.
Here’s how it all came into existence in my mind:
I Want Pasta > How About Spaghetti with Creamy Sauce > Need a Way to Use Frozen Ground Turkey > Maybe Lasagna > Or Healthy Lasagna? > Turkey Lasagna with Creamy Sauce Could Work > I Know – Lasagna with a Butternut Squash Sauce > Google Search Squash Lasagna For Inspiration > Discovery of Cooking Light’s Spaghetti Squash Lasagna > Purchase of All Spaghetti Squashes in a 100-mile Radius > So Many Delicious and Healthy Lunches And Dinners.
That’s all this blog is, really. It’s just me being hungry for pasta all day every day and finding enough variations to keep us afloat for the last 5 years.
Even without any true-carb-pasta, I’ll give this one an honorary position on my favorite pasta list. Spaghetti Squash for the win!
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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 HUGE boats (with extra sauce to freeze) 1x
Description
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats – creamy ricotta, spaghetti squash, garlic kale, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and a quick simmer tomato sauce. Easy, healthy, and SO delicious!
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3–4 cups baby kale
- 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1–2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- a pinch of Italian seasonings like oregano, parsley, and basil
- a few glugs of red wine and/or a splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Squash: Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut-side up in a baking dish and bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Pull the squash strings out with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl (be careful since you’ll want to preserve the squash shells to use as the “boats”). The squash strings should look like spaghetti.
- Sauce: Meanwhile, while the squash is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until just fragrant (not browned). Add the turkey and cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart into small pieces until fully cooked. Add the tomatoes, salt, seasonings, red wine, and vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes or so (until the squash is done). Add broth to thin out the sauce if needed.
- Filling: Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and kale, stirring until the kale is just wilted. Combine the kale in a small bowl with the ricotta, salt, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Add the cooked spaghetti squash and stir to combine.
- Arrange: Fill the boats with the spaghetti squash mixture and top with tomato sauce and remaining shredded cheese. Bump the temperature up to about 425 and bake for another 10-15 minutes to get the cheese nice and melty. Top with Parmesan, olive oil, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Notes
We were able to reserve about half of the tomato sauce in the freezer for future use, which was awesome.
Nutrition information is for four servings, and it includes half of the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Keywords: spaghetti squash lasagna, lasagna boats, squash lasagna
Thanks for hanging with us during this crazy return-from-travel-abroad-and-work-on-a-few-too-many-big-projects time, even when it means the posts are a little shorter than usual. I have a chalkboard FILLED with recipes inspired by 15+ days of being away from my kitchen and I cannot wait to get back into the regular swing.
Delicious and satisfying. We used spinach instead of kale.
Can you make ahead
Hi Ralph! Yes, you can make these ahead of time!
I made this tonight – used tofu crumbles instead of ground turkey as we are cutting back on meat. Used spinach instead of kale. Fabulous! So good and easy to make.
Hi!
Love this recipe. The only suggestion I would make is to note in the ingredients that the chicken broth is only needed for thinning. I added it before I read that in the instructions and I definitely didn’t need to thin my sauce.
Thank you!
Really great! The sauce was awesome and the spaghetti squash tasted great. All around awesome, definitely adding to the rotation!
Glad you enjoyed this, Brittney!
Thank you for posting. I am growing g spaghetti squash in my garden and just picked the first one of the year. It is prepped to go in the oven now!
I didn’t make your exact recipe but I can make this dish around 30 minutes by using the microwave and the stove compare to standard lasagna where it takes 30 min average just to bake it. It is the one of the fastest meal I can make (as a single guy). Of course, I only use either Tomato Basil Sauce or Marinara Sauce with sprinkle of oregano and extra basil flakes (maybe kale too). Next time, I’m going to add some beet greens (for vit A)and dandelion leaves (for vit A). And no clean up!!! just throw the shell away!!!
I couldn’t find the nutritional information.
Sorry, but it was utter flop..!! I did follow exactly the same procedure and finally it was not tasty.. my husband asked me not to make it again
Hi, Jenna! Lovely website… Your photography and writing is engaging and delightful!
Looking for some meatless meals, and I’m wondering if you have any options to replace the turkey? I thought about lentils, since I’m cooking up a big pot of them to make your falafel, anyway! Or brown rice? I’m not good at altering recipes, so any thoughts are appreciated. (Vegan or strict vegetarian is NOT required, I’m down with the cheese and all!!)
I think lentils would be a great sub! Or some white beans. 🙂
I ended up making these exactly per recipe. Well, a little extra mozza MAY have made its way out of the bag into the pan, but… 🙂
My husband isn’t a fan of eating food out of where the food came from, so I took someone’s suggestion to set up in a 9″ square cake pan. It was absolutely delicious! We have the leftovers vacuum-sealed and in the freezer for a quick dinner soon.
Just to be clear since I am new to this whole eating healthy thing. I intend to make these. So one serving is 1/2 a boat?
Hi Kathy! It’s one boat, so half a spaghetti squash. 🙂
YUM! I am actually making this tonight! So excited!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Made this for hubby and myself last night – my only regret is making 1 squash instead of 2. Went vegetarian and upped the kale, reduced the cheese – delicious.
Glad to hear it! 🙂
Hi Lindsay, you have a very impressive blog and thank you very much for helping new comers like myself, i have a blog which i’m yet to launch, and not very happy with the free theme and name of blog i desire, would it be possible to get some suggestions from you! please thanks
Recipe is 5 STARS! I am so glad I found your site. I have used 4-5 recipes and they always turn out delicious! My boyfriend thinks I’m an amazing cook. He LOVED this recipe and I truly think he loved me a little more after he tasted the sauce. I used fresh oregano and basil in the sauce and sprinkled on top at the end. It was perfection. I used one spaghetti squash because that’s all the grocery store had and it was more than enough for 2 people.
Thank you, thank you!!! Love your site!
I love any excuse to use spaghetti squash. What a good idea!
Thanks, Morgan! 🙂
hello, when you say 350 degrees, you mean fahrenheit right? thank you
That’s correct!
I made the Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats for my daughter and son-in -law when they visited from out of town. We all absolutely loved it! It was fun to make too. I substituted hot Italian sausage for the ground turkey just to “kick it up a notch” for the men in my family. Wow! Definitely a keeper recipe. Love your blog Lindsay.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for the comment, Vicki!
I contacted you about sharing a revision of this recipe on my Facebook page along with a link back to your page. Would like you to check it out and make sure it meets your criteria for sharing. https://www.facebook.com/Eatingwithpurpose.org/photos/a.976477119064443.1073741825.434643203247840/1155308044514682/?type=3&theater
I’m making this now! Literally. And…. where does the chicken broth get added?
Hi Jennifer! The broth can be used to thin out the sauce if needed.
Just made this tonight & it was delicious! I noticed some earlier comments saying it was too soupy & the confusion about the chicken broth, I found not adding any broth at all it was fine so I think the broth ingredient is a mistake, Made following the written directions was perfect. Next time I would cook the kale first tho & add to a bowl & then cook the sauce in the same pan right after so I will not have to dirty 2 frying pans. I also added a little extra ricotta because you can’t have too much cheese 🙂 Made it extra creamy I think. And yes I had about 1/2 the sauce leftover to freeze & make another batch of this…perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the tips, Erika! 🙂
Did you squeeze the excess water from the spaghetti squash strings after removing them? This looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Charyse! We did not squeeze out excess water from the spaghetti squash.
These look divine! So colorful too, great for a spring time plate up.
I love spaghetti squash and recipe looked really good. Have to say it was not my favourite and will not repeat. I will say though that I have enjoyed many of your recipes in the past and will continue to make them going forward.
Sorry to hear that, Karen. Thanks for the feedback – we appreciate it!
The ingredient list for the sauce in the Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats says 1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth but it isn’t mentioned in the directions for the sauce. I added it to the sauce but the sauce seems a little soupy. I hope I was supposed to do that.